


12 o’clock heat

by rainyjaem



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Fluff & Slight Angst, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO REN!! ILY!!, M/M, are they dating? are they just friends? you decide., summer time lovin’, unestablished relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25019116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainyjaem/pseuds/rainyjaem
Summary: But when the sun rises and the 12 o’clock heat hits, neither mention it.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 55





	12 o’clock heat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [poise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/poise/gifts).



> happy birthday to my special friend, ren! i love you to the moon and back. i hope i did the renmin queen justice with this fic D:
> 
> please excuse any errors, i’m writing this on two hours of sleep <3
> 
> listen to the song that inspired it all, [okinawa](https://open.spotify.com/track/1xyGT0Onkr3s5qctSQWStE?si=ij91JizCS-GXxQkOCKmhuw).

“This is it,” Jaemin huffs out as he drops their bags on the wooden boardwalk. Beside him, Renjun is silent, still holding onto his small straw bag. Jaemin takes the initiative of sliding the door open and pushing back the sheer curtain, and the sight that greets the two is nothing short of a dream.

The ceilings are low but the space is open and wide. A mattress in the corner of the room sits atop a thin beechwood frame, a circular glass table adorned with seashells surrounded by two large white bean bags occupies the space in the center, and the kitchen appliances are separated by one long counter: the countertop sports the same light beechwood material as the bed frame.

Jaemin removes his shoes and brings their bags inside before walking off to the bathroom. Inside is a small shower, a sink with a sea glass lined mirror, and a toilet. The basics, but a major upgrade from their sad excuse of an apartment back in Seoul. He glances at himself in the mirror and tries his hardest not to linger on the dark bags beneath his eyes.

Renjun has now moved from the doorway onto the bed, straw bag still clutched close to his chest. Jaemin smiles warmly and lies down next to his best friend, both of their eyes trained on the thin fan blades slowly spinning above them. They creak as they turn, and Jaemin can already tell Renjun is going to have trouble falling asleep to the noise, but he’ll manage. Jaemin will help him.

“What do you think?” Jaemin turns his head to stare at Renjun’s profile. It’s been years and he’s still not used to the effortless beauty of the boy before him. His blonde bangs thread between his thick black lashes. The gentle slope of his nose makes a steep drop down to Jaemin’s personal favorite—his lips. His lips are relaxed into a thin line and Jaemin tries his absolute best to shove his wandering thoughts about wanting to kiss this boy like there's no tomorrow down _so far_ _down_ he’s fearful they’ll never surface again. 

Renjun turns to him and Jaemin takes notice of the way he is suddenly out of breath once their eyes meet.

“I like it. Much better, much  _ bigger _ than home.”

“Perhaps this can become our home away from home?” Jaemin wonders aloud.

Renjun returns his gaze to the squeaking fan blades.

“Perhaps.”

\- ☼ -

The sound of the door sliding open pulls Jaemin back to consciousness. When his eyes flutter open, he’s pleased to find that the blinding sunshine from earlier has been replaced by a soft glow of light emitting from the various lamps scattered around the house—it makes the process of waking up much easier.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Renjun says as the door shuts behind him. Jaemin sits up and smacks his lips. He can tell his hair is a complete mess if Renjun’s amused smirk is anything to go by.

“‘s okay,” Jaemin responds with a raspy tone. Renjun pulls a water bottle out of his straw bag and hands it to him, the latter smiling tiredly in gratitude. “Where did you go?”

“I went down to those markets we saw a couple miles back. I figured we’d need some food for tonight. The people down there are very kind, pleasant conversationalists. Unlike you.” Renjun shuffles over to the kitchen and begins to unpack his bag.

Jaemin chuckles despite the insult. He loves when Renjun teases him. It means he’s in a good mood and he’s feeling calm enough to let some of his deeply concealed humor out.

“Haha, very funny. At least you’ll have them to keep you company when my presence becomes boring.” Jaemin sits up from the bed and makes his way to the kitchen to ultimately make Renjun’s life harder, but that’s what he does best, and he  _ really  _ enjoys riling up his friend. He hops on top of the counter and swings his legs as he watches Renjun put his groceries away.

“Thanks for the help,” Renjun comments with a harsh slam of the cupboard.

“Always,” Jaemin bites back, never missing a beat.

Renjun walks up to him on the counter and Jaemin spreads his legs without hesitation. The blonde slots himself between Jaemin’s knees and gazes up at him. His slender fingers run through Jaemin’s tousled hair, the gray locks sliding through his fingers like water.

“Your presence has never— _will_ _never—_ bore me.”

Jaemin cheeks burn, and if Renjun notices, he graciously chooses to ignore it.

  
  


“This was delicious, thank you Junnie.” Jaemin makes a dramatic gesture of rubbing his stomach, a sated smile on his face. It gets Renjun to chuckle, albeit just once (it sounds more like a cough), and that is enough to keep Jaemin satisfied for a month. “Okay, now let's go swimming!”

Renjun’s brows furrow when Jaemin stands from their spot on the floor and removes his shirt.

“Jaemin, you’re supposed to wait at least thirty minutes after eating before going swimming. Even a seven year old knows that.” 

“Well, good thing I’m not a seven year old.” Jaemin winks and is already halfway to the door by the time Renjun gathers their plates and stands.

“Jaemin, I’m being serious. If you get sick tonight, I’m not taking care of you.” The plates clatter when Renjun places them in the sink.

“Come on, Jun! A little tummy ache never hurt anybody,” Jaemin groans and even makes the effort to wiggle around at the door.

“Actually, that’s false. They do hurt people,  _ especially _ you. That’s why it’s called a stomach  _ ache. _ I mean it Jaemin, if you come in here and you’re in pain, I’m going to bed.”

Jaemin pouts.

“You’re mean.” Jaemin stomps out of the house and only then does Renjun allow himself to smile.

He hears the splash of water and rolls his eyes before focusing on his book. His eyes scan over each word, but his mind wanders elsewhere. More specifically, his mind wanders to thoughts of Jaemin—shirtless, tousled hair and dripping wet, that damn  _ smile  _ that makes Renjun’s blood boil for unresolved reasons. Renjun curses quietly when he feels heat crawl over his body, the thin fabric of his shirt clinging to his sweaty back. He doesn’t  _ understand.  _ He doesn’t understand why he gets like this when he thinks about Jaemin, his best friend and forever roommate. He doesn’t understand why he gets like this, and why he wishes he could  _ stay  _ like this.

“Okay,” Jaemin’s voice jolts Renjun out of his thoughts, and he looks up at his friend’s dripping form with a glare that hides something a lot less threatening and a lot more embarassing. “You might’ve had a point with that whole thirty minute thing…”

Jaemin doesn’t need to continue because Renjun understands instantly. It makes him laugh.

“Go take a shower,” Renjun sighs, closing his book and rummaging through their suitcase. Jaemin smiles goofily and walks off to the bathroom.

Renjun pulls out a bottle of pills meant to help with stomach aches and places two on the coffee table. He shuffles over to the kitchen and looks around for the bread he purchased earlier that day. Once he acquires everything he needs to take care of Jaemin (despite adamantly stating he  _ wouldn’t _ ), he arranges it all on the table and waits.

A few minutes later, Jaemin steps out of the bathroom, cloud of steam following behind. His torso is bare and still has a few drops of water clinging to his marble-like skin. The towel around his waist hangs  _ dangerously low  _ and Renjun prays to whoever is listening that it stays in place. Jaemin kneels down to grab a pair of sweatpants from the suitcase and decides it’s a great idea to change right there, out in the open. Renjun quickly averts his eyes and hopes Jaemin doesn’t find it suspicious. 

Renjun hears the snap of Jaemin’s waistband and then he’s kneeling beside him. His scent is overwhelming, clean and warm and incredibly tantalizing. Jaemin leans into his space, completely oblivious as to what he’s doing to his friend. He’s always had a bad habit of getting too close to people. Renjun has to take a few deep breaths to keep his composure.

“Thought you said you weren’t gonna take care of me,” Jaemin teases with a quirked brow, bringing his face mere  _ centimeters  _ away from Renjun’s. He doesn’t miss the way his eyes flicker down to his lips. In a panic, Renjun does the only thing he knows how to do.

He pushes Jaemin away.

“Shut up and take the medicine. Eat the bread, and drink  _ all  _ of that water.”

Jaemin does what he’s told without any further complaints. After he makes a show of gulping down the glass and wiping his mouth with an exaggerated  _ “ahh”,  _ he joins Renjun on the bed.

The light is flicked off before Jaemin even has a chance to say goodnight. Maybe he pushed Renjun too far. Just as he’s about to ask what’s wrong, or maybe start apologizing for no reason at all (as he usually does), Renjun speaks into the darkness.

“Goodnight.” It’s gentle and sincere, a sign Renjun is tired.

“Goodnight,” Jaemin mumbles, and that’s the last of their conversation for that day.

\- ☼ -

The sheets are stiff and cling awkwardly to Renjun’s body. It’s hot in the bed, especially when he’s lying next to a portable heater. His thin white shirt and boxers do little to alleviate the permanent sweat on his skin, and that  _ damn fan _ won’t stop  _ creaking. _ It’s times like these that Renjun envies Jaemin’s ability to sleep literally  _ anywhere. _

Renjun has never felt comfortable sleeping in beds that aren’t his own, and tonight is no exception. Despite having the comfort of someone beside him, this bed pales in comparison to his and Jaemin’s king size bed at home. It’s probably the largest and most expensive thing they own, but it's completely worth it because right now he’s exhausted but cannot, for the life of him, fall asleep. This bed is much smaller than the one at home which forces him to be closer to Jaemin than what he considers healthy for his heart. Their shoulders are pressed together and Renjun can almost feel Jaemin’s steady heartbeat.

He isn’t sure how long he lies there staring up at the spinning fan blades, their insistent creaking only milliseconds behind. The curtain blows with the sea breeze and the moonlight bleeds through the thin fabric. He can hear the crash of waves and he loves the way it moves in tune with Jaemin’s breathing.

Slowly, Renjun turns on his side to stare at Jaemin’s still figure. The moonlight kisses the tip of his nose and illuminates his bare chest. The locks of his hair sparkle like silver thread. He loves to watch Jaemin sleep, does it more often than he’d like to admit. It’s the one time he allows himself to lose control. It’s the one time he allows his heart and mind to wander.

Renjun wants to kiss him, so he does.

He places his warm hand on Jaemin’s cheek and props himself up on his elbow. Steadily, he leans down and slots his lips between Jaemin’s. Before he even has a chance to panic and pull away, Jaemin’s lips are moving against his own. His mouth is engulfed in delicious heat, and before he knows it, Jaemin’s tongue is prodding its way into his mouth. Jaemin arms pull him up to rest on top of his waist, his large hands finding purchase in the small dips of Renjun’s hips. They continue to kiss without breaking for air and Renjun thinks he might drown. The burn in his chest is pleasant and wholeheartedly welcome.

Jaemin drags his teeth along Renjun’s lower lip and he whimpers into the kiss. He feels Jaemin smile at the sound. They continue to explore each other’s mouths and trace over paths they’ve carved their way into so many times before, but every night that they spend like this, they find something new to love, a new spot to taste and claim as their own. Renjun nips at Jaemin’s lips in the way he knows he loves, and the deep groan he gets in return will  _ always  _ be heavenly rewarding.

His fingers tangle into Jaemin’s hair and he  _ tugs _ , laughing breathily into his mouth when Jaemin’s breath hitches and he moans in surprise. Renjun finally breaks away in favor of staring down at his best friend. His face is flushed and his lips are swollen, dilated pupils burning holes into Renjun’s scrambled brain. Renjun thinks he’s incredibly dangerous like this. This look, Renjun’s  _ favorite _ look, could kill him in an instant.

“You are so beautiful,” Renjun whispers into their shared breath. Jaemin pulls him down into another gloriously painful kiss. 

They spend the rest of the night in each other’s arms, indulging in one another’s fantasies. The only thing that will ever attest to their nightly activities will—as always—be the watchful eye of the moon and the winking stars. The only evidence that confirms this was not another dream or simply wishful thinking, will be their matching set of bruises decorating every inch of their skin.

But when the sun rises and the 12 o’clock heat hits, neither mention it.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! let me know what you thought :)
> 
> kudos & comments are appreciated ^—^
> 
> my [twitter](https://twitter.com/rainyjaem)  
> come yell at me [here!](http://curiouscat.me/rainyjaem)


End file.
